How we work together
Not every business owner needs the same thing, and the same owner needs different things at different times. The offerings below are designed to meet you where the issue actually is, whether that's your own decision-making, your management team, your leadership alignment, or the operational infrastructure underneath it all. We work with businesses across North Jersey and New York City.
The Alternative Board - TAB Gateway
The Alternative Board brings together peer advisory, executive coaching, and leadership development into one coherent practice. The four offerings below are different entry points into that work, matched to where you are and what you need right now. TAB members consistently outperform their peers, achieving revenue growth 2.5 times the national average.
Peer Advisory Boards
Monthly confidential sessions where 6-10 non-competing business owners and CEOs work through their most pressing challenges together. Each member gets time in the hot seat—presenting a real issue, receiving focused questions and advice from peers, and committing to action. Facilitated by Merrill to keep sessions productive and get the best thinking from the room.
Ongoing groups matched by business maturity and complexity
Includes one-on-one executive coaching with membership
Access to TAB's Blueprint strategic business management platform
Serving business owners in North Jersey and NYC
Executive Coaching
Available as part of peer board membership or as a standalone service for business owners, solopreneurs, and department heads. One-on-one sessions focused on setting priorities, building accountability, and making progress on what matters most.
HI-MAP – Manager Development Program
A facilitated workshop series that helps leadership teams create strategic clarity, strengthen how they work together, and build the execution habits that turn plans into results. Ideal for leadership teams ready to align around priorities and create lasting organizational impact.
StratPro® – Strategic Business Transformation
A structured management development curriculum grounded in adult learning principles. Four competency paths span the full range of what it takes to be an effective manager:
Improvement Path: Communication, time management, and coaching skills
Influence Path: Meeting facilitation, negotiation, and high-performing cultures
Talent Path: Recruiting, retention, and employee development
Team Action Path: Strategic leadership, goal setting, and performance measurement
Available for individual managers joining mixed-company cohorts or as a dedicated program for your organization. Participants commit to applying new skills between sessions, creating lasting behavior change. Delivers 20% improvement in job performance and 28% increase in leadership behaviors.
HR & Operations Consulting
For small and mid-sized businesses that need experienced HR and operational leadership without a full-time hire. Merrill serves as a fractional CHRO and hands-on adviser, auditing what's in place, fixing what isn't, and building the systems that let companies run and scale.
Audit and remediate HR and operations infrastructure including policies, procedures, compliance, and org design
Develop role leveling frameworks, org charts, hiring plans, and recruiting strategies aligned to business stage and growth goals
Available for project-based engagements and ongoing fractional support
Serving businesses across Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, Union, and Rockland Counties and New York City, with remote support and occasional travel available for the right engagement.
Ready to talk?
The best next step is a short conversation.